Happy New Year

The New Year, A Time of Reflection and Anticipation

The early Roman calendar was created in the 8th century B.C. by Romulus, founder of Rome, consisting of 10 months and 304 days. Each New Year began at the vernal equinox as was tradition.  Later, King Numa Pomlpilius added the months of Januarius and Februarious. Over the years the calendar fell out of synch with the sun. In 46 BC, emperor Julius Caesar consulted with prominent astronomers and mathematicians to solve this problem. The Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar used today, was introduced. Caesar instituted January 1st as the start of the New Year, honoring the month's namesake: Janus, the Roman God of beginnings and endings. The fitting significance of Janus' two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future.

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Looking back, here are events that occurred in 2018 causing widespread and significant impact: Hurricanes Florence and Michael Over-pressurized gas lines in Massachusetts that caused explosions, more than 60 fires, and months-long service interruption to 8,000 customers including many businesses Data breaches of Facebook, Marriott/Starwood, and many others Historic wildland fires in California Reputations tarnished by product liability suits (Bayer/Monsanto) and privacy concerns (Facebook and others) Geopolitical events including trade wars affecting the global supply chain and disinformation campaigns inciting the public discourse

Events thought to be "unexpected" are now clearly foreseeable. Preparing for events that threaten life, property (real, digital, and intellectual), business operations, reputations, and relationships with stakeholders is a New Year's resolution for every organization. We continue to monitor events as they unfold and work towards building better international standards and practices for preparedness and resilience.  Our goal has always been to help others understand the hazard, operational, and reputational risks that surround them and to implement plans and strategies. We wish you all the best in 2019.